Super Mario Middle School
by Mog Anarchy
Summary: What’s the square root of a Fire Flower divided by the circumference of a Super ‘Shroom?
1. A is for Anxiety

**Super Mario Middle School**

**Mog Anarchy**

* * *

**A/N: A whole new fan fiction concept here - I've not tried anything like this before - so be gentle in your reviews please! I've called it Super Mario _Middle School_ to appeal to the American authors - and there seems to be a lot more of them on this site than the English ones, like myself…**

**Disclaimer: I don't own the Super Mario Bros, or any of the related characters - but I did think up a lot of the teachers' names!**

**Review, and enjoy!**

**- _Dixie Stonehall_**

* * *

**One**

Princess Peach gazed anxiously into the full-length mirror, hung on her wall beside her cavernous wardrobe. She tugged anxiously at the knot in her necktie, which she'd just tied tightly around her neck - so tight that it was cutting off the circulation to her brain.

Her stomach was filled with butterflies, she felt like she would pass out at any moment. Today was her first day in 9th grade. And she was starting in a whole new school.

Her father, King Toadstool had decided that in his daughters' best interest, that she should cease home-schooling, and go to a public school, to have a chance at social relationships.

For most of her life, Peach had spent her days at home, with occasional visits from a private tutor. A middle-aged Goomba, with unruly curly hair, and a wild moustache. His name was Professor Frankly - a head senior at the University of Goom. Peach wasn't a slow learner, but she wasn't a fast one either - just a comfortable middle.

Still, Peach felt rather anti-social, and didn't want the chance to mix with other teenagers her age either. Peach was now fourteen, a shy and diminutive girl, with long blonde hair, and a pale, heart-shaped face.

Peach had perfect manners, and acted as her father expected her to - as a princess. However, she felt too shy to even speak to anybody her own age, and preferred spending time alone, reading, painting, and playing the piano. However, Peach was not the sort of girl to argue with her father's requests.

She pulled anxiously down on the hem of her freshly-pressed black skirt, hoping that it covered her knees. Peach had always felt conscious about them, for some reason. She carefully buttoned up the collar on her clean, white shirt, and stepped back to stare at her appearance.

Her father knocked at her bedroom door; and then let himself in. He walked over to Peach, and patted her gently on the shoulder. Peach looked up into her father's eyes, having to bend her neck quite far back to be able to see him. (At six foot four, King Toadstool towered over his tiny daughter, measuring just five foot.)

"Are you all ready, Peachypoo?"

Peach winced, hating those nicknames that her father babied her with. He took a hairbrush from the dresser, and began running it gently through Peach's hair.

"I can understand that you're scared… But there's nothing to be afraid of, Peach."

Peach didn't feel convinced, and so she said nothing, biting her lip as the brush tugged hard against a tangle in her hair.

"You shouldn't worry about this, Peachy pie - there's nothing to fear. I'm sure you'll make lots of new friends here."

"Hmmm…" Peach mumbled to herself, smiling as her father placed a bright pink Alice band on her head, to keep her hair in place.

"There we are." He murmured softly. Peach turned around to face him, and he tickled her under the chin. She blushed, but smiled with pleasure at the fact her dad still thought of her as his little baby girl. "Who's my beautiful daughter, eh?" he asked.

"Me…?" Peach humoured him, tapping his nose.

* * *

After a light breakfast, Peach was bundled off in the royal black limo, to her first day of Middle School.

By now, all her shyness had rushed back and the butterflies were fluttering around in her tummy once more.

The journey didn't take long, and the chauffer escorted her in through the school gates, across the corridor, and into a grim room.

"You must be Peach?" Asked a voice from behind a desk.

Peach twiddled her fingers nervously. "Umm. Yes, that's me."

The voice then took the form of a blue Koopa with huge spectacles, as she appeared from under the desk. She was clutching a buff cardboard folder, which she scanned curiously.

"Peach… Toadstool, is it?"

Peach nodded. "Yes, ma'am. That is correct."

The Koopa walked around from behind her desk, and took Peach by the arm. "Well, that's all in order," she said. "Now, let's introduce you to the school."

Peach went white as a sheet. "The… School?" She gasped, reluctantly allowing herself to be tugged along a corridor, and through a huge green door, marked "Stage Entrance".

An assembly was taking place, with the whole school sat in front of a huge stage. There must have been around 1000 students sat in those seats.

Peach felt her knees shake, as the Koopa led her along through the back curtains and onto the stage itself.

A Paratroopa was leading the assembly - one with a sparkling red shell, and spotless wings. He was dressed in a smart suit, and his booming voice echoed all the way across the draughty hall.

"And those are the announcements for this week…" he was saying, until he turned to his left and saw Peach standing with the secretary. He nodded in her direction - and Peach felt herself be pushed forward right into the centre of the stage.

"Oh, and we also have a new student joining us today…"

The crowd burst into lots of talk, all eyes affixed on Peach.

"Her name is Peach Toadstool…"

There was a small outburst of laughter. Peach felt herself blush bright scarlet - they were obviously laughing at the stupidity of her fruity name.

"And she's just joining in our 9th grade class today…" The Koopa glanced over the crowd. "And I hope that you-"

He stopped - as a loud thud echoed through the room. Everyone suddenly fell silent.

He turned to his left, and gasped.

* * *


	2. B is for Bullies

* * *

**A/N: So, here's the second chapter of SMMS. I'm trying to update all of my fics regularly - but trying to write 13 things at once, it's not so easy! So… Please be patient, all of you. :)**

**Oh, and also, a little thank you to LuigiGirl-22, HobbesLuigi82, and Skyling, for giving me moral support. Yay!**

**-_ Dixie Stonehall_**

* * *

**Two**

Peach groaned, and slowly opened her heavy eyelids. A blinding flash of light shone into her eyes, making her wince.

With the strong scent of disinfectant in the air, Peach realised she was in a sickroom. She rubbed her forehead hard, trying to remember what had happened.

"Oh, you've come around, huh?" came a voice from the far corner.

A plump Toad nurse waddled over to the bed where Peach was laid. She beamed at her, her huge smile, warm and welcoming. Peach couldn't help smiling back.

"You fainted you know," the Toad said. "We had to have four prefects carry you down here."

Peach felt her cheeks flush with slight embarrassment. She knew that everyone would be taking the rip for weeks about this…

"Do you feel any better Peach? Because it is time that you were sent to your lessons."

Peach knew that she couldn't lie. "Yes. I feel much better now, thank you." She smiled.

"Splendid!" the Toad grinned. "Shall we go along to your first lesson, then?" She picked up a piece of paper from on the sideboard, and scanned it curiously.

"Ah, looks like you have a French lesson first off… Did you cover the topics of work when you were home-schooled?"

Peach smiled weakly. "I did, ma'am. My father taught me."

* * *

"Professor Kolorado? A word please?"

"Just a moment please." The Koopa said to his class, before climbing down from his chair, and walking out into the corridor to address the messenger.

Peach felt herself be pushed forward through the doorway, and into the classroom. She heard Professor Kolorado and the messenger mumbling about her in the corridor.

Peach stood still, wondering what to do. She'd never been within a classroom of any school before - so she felt rather bewildered.

She turned her attention to the rows of desks facing the board, and the people who were seated at them.

Seated in the first row, was a red-headed girl. She'd been sat in a rather bored pose - resting her chin on her hands, staring blankly into space. Her eyes were as blue as shimmering sapphires. She noticed Peach staring at her, and smiled kindly up at her. Peach smiled nervously back, spreading her palm in a little wave.

Sat beside the red-head was a boy. He had a large round nose, a cheeky smile, and his hair was very tidy - not even a single hair was out of place. He was tall, and his long legs were sticking out from underneath the table - upon his enormous feet, he was wearing a pair of immaculate green Converse, which poked out from underneath his carefully pressed trousers. His shirt was a gleaming white, and his necktie was made up in a tidy knot around his neck.

Beside him was a different boy - this one was not so tidy. He was rather wide - and took up practically the whole table. His thick brown hair was tousled, parts of it flicked up, parts flicked down, and some flopping into his eyes - which were dark and beady, like a vulture. He seemed to have splashes of breakfast all down his shirt, and all over his tie. He had an enormous pink nose, and snuffled it weirdly like a pig rootling for turnips, every so often.

On the next row back, a tubby young boy was sat. He looked a little like the very tidy boy in the front row. He also had the round nose, and their hair was the same colour, but this one was a little rounder, around his middle, and his hair was unruly. He looked up at Peach, and grinned shyly, as if he were embarrassed. Peach wondered if the two might be related.

Next to him, sat a bright green dinosaur. Well, a Yoshi. He had his head down, writing furiously. He glanced at Peach, and gave her a tiny smile, before focusing his attention back to his work.

Beside the Yoshi was a lanky boy, with a sinister looking face. His arms and legs were very long and bony, and his face was gnarled and twisted, like the root of an old tree. Peach didn't really like the look of him.

Along the next row sat various other Koopas, Goombas and Yoshis. Most of them were slacking off, just messing around and not focusing on their work.

Professor Kolorado re-entered, and gave Peach a gentle smile. "Well Peach, welcome to your first lesson. As you've been told, this is my French classroom. I've been told that your father has covered the topics so far with you?"

"Yes sir." Peach answered, looking to the ground.

"Well, good." He said, glancing around the room. "Peach, I'd like you to sit beside Wario, please."

He pointed to the empty space next to the enormous, untidy boy in the front row. He glared at Peach, grinding his teeth.

Peach gulped, and looked up pleadingly at Professor Kolorado.

"Is there a problem?" He asked slowly, daring Peach to defy him.

Peach shook her head quickly. "Um. No sir, no problem at all." She gabbled, and quickly scuttled over to the empty seat beside Wario.

The disgusting monster was chomping on a clove of garlic, and he reeked of it. Peach retched, and tried not to breathe in his foul odour.

He waved a handful of the vile stuff in front of her face. "Want some, Peach?" He asked, talking with his mouth full.

Peach coughed, almost collapsing under the table. She held her hand to her nose, before saying: "Umm… No thanks, Wario."

Wario opened his disgusting mouth to say something, but Professor Kolorado began calling the register.

Peach looked up, her eyes bright - she had to take this opportunity to learn some peoples' names.

"Kooper…"

"Yes sir." replied a Koopa sat at the back of the room, with a sparkling blue shell upon his back.

"Daisy…"

"Sir!" The red-headed girl in the front row called out cheerfully.

"Parakarry…"

"Yeah sir." A Paratroopa sat beside Kooper mumbled quietly.

"Lakilester…"

"Sir, it's 'Spike'!" cried out a Lakitu in the second from back row. He had a green spiked Mohawk style haircut, and was balancing a pencil upon the end of his finger.

"Excuse me Lakilester, but in this register, it does not say 'Spike', it says 'Lakilester'. Do you have a problem with that…?" Kolorado growled.

"Um. No sir." Lakilester mumbled.

"Good." Kolorado coughed. "Right… Mario…"

"Yes sir." Answered the tubby, shy boy in the middle row. He noticed Peach turning round to look at him, and he hung his head, blushing.

"Luigi…"

"Present, sir!" called the tall, tidy boy in the front row. Daisy nudged him and they both cracked up giggling.

"Dazzle…"

"Yeah." coughed a shady-looking character in the back-row. He wore a ridiculous looking blue jester's hat, which contrasted against his dull uniform.

"Heff T…."

"Sir." Mumbled a huge Toad sat in the second back row. Wario sneered at him, and turned quickly, throwing a paper wad in his direction.

Kolorado misjudged the situation. "Peach!"

Peach jumped. "Yes sir?" She asked, innocently.

"Don't 'yes sir' me, young lady, I saw that!"

"Saw what… Sir?" Peach mumbled.

"Don't try and play the innocence act with me, I saw you throw that paper at Heff T…."

"I didn't sir!" Peach protested.

"Peach, one more word out of you, and I'm giving you a detention. Don't argue with me."

Peach hung her head, knowing it was best not to continue back-answering. Wario nudged her in the side.

"Nice goin', fruity girl." He sniggered, stuffing another glove of garlic into his mouth.

Peach glared at him, wanting to kick out at him under the table - but due to the all-seeing eyes of Kolorado, she knew it was best not to pursue the matter.

"Yoshi…"

"Yup." answered the Yoshi.

"Yoshi, the Yoshi?" Peach mumbled to herself. "That should be easy to remember…"

Wario jabbed her in the back with his finger. "You get put away for talking to yourself, _fruit _loop_."_

"Peach…"

"Yes sir." Peach answered, hoping that he wouldn't snap at her just for answering her name.

"Waluigi…"

"Yeah sir, whatever." The gangly figure in the middle row sneered. He signalled over to Wario, and threw an expertly-aimed gumball into Wario's raised hand.

"Wario…"

"Ah-ha. Yeah sir." Wario said, indistinctively, as his mouth was filled with the giant gumball.

"Humph." Kolorado said. "Full house. Now, we're going to continue with what we were doing last lesson."

Kolorado stood up, and began to write down the French numerical alphabet on the blackboard.

"Now then…" He glanced around the room, and then pounced on the fresh meat. "Peach, recite."

Peach blinked, bewildered. "Recite?" She asked.

Kolorado narrowed his eyes. "Recite the numeric alphabet, as I wrote upon the board. I was informed that your father covered the basic topics with you…?"

"Oh, of course sir." Peach said. She cleared her throat and began to read from the board.

It seemed that her father hadn't been one of the best French-speakers in the Mushroom Kingdom - Peach mispronounced all of the words.

By the time she mispronounced _dix-huit_ as "Dicks-Hewitt" the whole class was collapsing with laughter.

"Alright Peach! That's enough!" Kolorado shouted. "I was obviously misinformed about you knowing the basics…" He shook his head despairingly.

Peach bent her head so far down, her nose almost touched the table.

"_Troys, Quat-re, Sink, Six, Sept, Hew-itt, Nerf, Dicks!"_ Wario laughed, putting on a high-pitched voice and imitating Peach mockingly.

The whole class cracked up laughing again. Peach blushed a bright scarlet, right up to the tips of her ears.

Waluigi leant forward over the table, and jabbed Peach sharply in the back with a ruler. "Great work there, Blondie-baguette." He snickered.

Peach sighed, trying hard to blink her tears back.

* * *


	3. C is for Chemistry

**Three**

After the torment of the French lesson passed, Peach scuttled out of the room, determined not to cause any more problems for herself.

She squinted at her timetable. Her next lesson was Chemistry, with Doctor Koopalot. She rubbed her chin in thought, slowly walking along the corridor.

"Chemistry…" Peach said to herself. She'd never been the best at science, and her father would never test out any experiments with her - not since the time she filled the dishwasher with baking powder, and threw in a bottle of vinegar - aged four.

She was too busy immersed in thoughts of her innocent and accident-prone childhood, that she didn't look where she was going, and walked _smack-bang_ right into someone coming the opposite way.

They were holding a huge stack of books, and had been walking quite swiftly. The collision was brutal, both of them being knocked to the ground, and then being clunked on the head with several heavy textbooks.

Peach rubbed her sore skull, where _The Complete Works Of William Koopspeare _had collided with her skull. She opened her eyes slowly, and found that she was laid out across Mario's lap, looking up into his eyes.

Peach leapt up, as if he were red hot. _She _was going red hot now.

"I… I… I uh… I'm so sorry!" She stammered, looking at Mario's feet. He wore red Converse, just like Luigi - but his were slightly scuffed at the toes.

He picked himself up, dusting himself down.

Peach quickly gathered up his fallen books, and held them out to him, her knees knocking together, her arms shaking.

Mario took them from her, and smiled at her, from over the top of _150 Magical Monsters - From Goombas to Cheep-Cheeps._

He looked slightly shy, but he smiled coolly at her, raising his eyebrow slightly.

Peach grinned manically, like a Halloween pumpkin. She winced, remembering that was another one of her father's stupid nicknames - Peachy Pumpkin.

"Thanks Peach." Mario said. "You okay?" He asked, noticing that she had turned the colour of a tomato, and was sweating profusely and nervously.

"Yes." She squeaked. It was the only word that she felt powerful enough to say.

"Right, okay then." He grinned, turning around and shuffling away to his next class, his mountain of books held firmly in his arms.

Peach sighed, she felt like she'd totally embarrassed herself in front of Mario. Could her day get any worse?

_The answer to that, was yes._

* * *

"Now everybody!" Doctor Koopalot chirped, waving his arms about excitedly. "I'm going to assign you to a workstation, with your new lab partner!"

Everyone groaned.

"Wario, you're with…"

Peach held her breath.

"Waluigi!"

Peach let it out in a sigh of relief. Wario and Waluigi ran over to their bench, excited to be able to mess around with dangerous chemicals.

"Now now boys, don't touch anything yet! Wait until I've issued your assignment and your safety gear!"

Peach scoffed; she knew that Wario and Waluigi wouldn't listen to him.

"Luigi and Dazzle!"

"Daisy and Kooper!"

"Heff T. and Yoshi!"

"Parakarry and Lakilester!"

"Peach and Mario!"

Peach gulped as Mario walked over to her, and directed her to a bench.

Koopalot handed out lab coats and goggles, which everyone put on obediently. Peach's lab coat was enormous on her, going all the way down to her knees. Wario's on the other hand would barely go past his stomach. Waluigi snickered evilly at him.

Koopalot disappeared briefly, then returned, pushing a trolley, which was lined with pots of rabid, snapping Piranha Plants.

He grinned at everyone's shocked faces. "Today, we're going to be changing the anatomy of these plants. Making them spit fire, and then changing their chemical qualities, and making them spit thunder."

Everyone looked at him blankly.

"Basically, you need to mix up this formula." He said, turning quickly and scribbling down a complex chemical formula upon the blackboard behind.

Everyone but Peach nodded. She didn't have a clue what any of it meant.

Mario set to work, gathering the chemicals. Peach glanced at the snapping plant. Everyone else was cowering away from them in fear. Peach frowned, she wasn't scared of a _plant_. She'd show them.

She stretched out her arm, and began to tickle the Piranha under the leaves. Mario saw what she was doing.

"Peach! NO!" He yelled, rocketing forward, and slapping Peach's hand away from the plant.

"Mario! What did-" Peach was interrupted by a loud scream, coming from inches away from her.

The ferocious, carnivorous flower had Mario's wrist clamped firmly in its mouth - its razor-sharp teeth embedded in his flesh, blood trickling all over his lab coat and the bench.

Peach screamed with fright, and suddenly the whole laboratory became a hyper-active panic.

It was eventually calmed, with Koopalot firing a handgun bullet into the ceiling, and the bang caused everyone to halt. Mario was taken away to the nurse, blood dripping forlornly all across the floor of the corridor.

Everyone turned and glared at Peach, as if it was her fault. She bit her lip nervously, and looked up pleadingly at Koopalot.

"Peach, it seems that you have to finish the assignment yourself. Come on now, chop, chop!"

Peach's heart sank, she knew she couldn't possibly attempt this. But then again, she couldn't risk getting into trouble again.

She grabbed a glass beaker from the side, and several chemical bottles.

"Okay… This seems easy enough." Peach muttered.

She measured out a few drops of a clear acid. "Riiight… And you add 35 cubic centimetres of CO?"

Peach glanced at the assorted chemicals. A blue one caught her eye.

"Copper Sulphate." she muttered. "…It starts with C O… Must be that."

She shrugged and tipped a few spoonfuls into the acid. The concoction fizzed angrily, and Peach watched it excitedly.

"And then… Sodium Chloride." she smiled. Peach knew what that was.

Peach delved under the bench, and rummaged in the chemical cupboard. She pulled out a sachet of salt, and a thick purple gel.

She hummed to herself as she tipped in the fine grains of salt.

"And, a splash of colour!" She exclaimed cheerily, adding a scoop of the purple gunk to the beaker. The mixture bubbled slowly, emitting a fine green gas from the top of the beaker.

Peach glanced at the Piranha Plant, which had just savaged Mario. She picked up the random mix that she'd just made, and slowly walked up to it.

The plant looked up at her, and snapped its jaws, hissing evilly.

"Hey, it's snack time." Peach grinned, raising the bottle above its mouth.

The Piranha opened its mouth, and growled ravenously. Peach tipped the bottle slowly, and the mixture splashed down into its mouth.

"There." Peach said slowly, putting the empty bottle down on the bench. "Did you enjoy that?"

The Piranha didn't respond. Its leaves drooped, and his stem shook around violently. He opened his mouth wide, and screeched in pain.

Koopalot jumped from his chair. "What's going on!?" He screamed.

"No idea, sir!" Peach answered, stuffing her fingers in her ears.

Koopalot cast an experienced eye at the disintegrating flower.

"Everyone!" He yelled, "Take cover!"

There was a miniature riot, as all the students dove underneath their benches.

"Hey wait, what did I-"

_**BAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAM!!**_

* * *

The room fell silent.

Koopalot slowly crawled out from underneath his desk.

"Is everyone okay?" He asked.

"A little off." Daisy mumbled.

"Shaken, not stirred." Luigi grinned, nudging Daisy.

Koopalot gasped, staring at the walls and benches of the lab. "…My lab… My poor, poor lab." He whispered, biting his knuckles.

Wario slowly opened his eyes, and shuffled out from behind a filing cabinet. "Wow." he said, "Not everyday that you see an exploding Piranha Plant, huh?"

"Yeah Peach, nice work." Waluigi sneered.

Peach stood still, not daring to move.

The whole laboratory was splattered with Piranha innards, from the floor, all the way up to the ceiling.

Tiny shreds of leaf covered the walls in a tidy pattern, blood dripped from the tables, and Peach stood in the middle of it all, completely caked in the vile internal medley. Peach grimaced, glancing nervously at the torrent of blood and guts that covered her, from head to toe.

"Eww…" Peach whimpered, gingerly wiping the sticky gore out of her eyes.

Koopalot stormed over to her, looking like he was about to explode too. He towered over Peach, his face turning patchy red with fury.

"I… I… I'm s-sorry, sir…" Peach stammered, quaking with fear. "I… I… didn't mean it…" She sniffed. "I… didn't quite know what to do…"

"That's no excuse!" Koopalot yelled, right in Peach's face. She retched backwards in disgust. (Why do all chemistry teachers have really bad halitosis?)

"Yeah sir, have you seen the state of this place?" Wario cut in, grinning evilly in Peach's direction.

"Yeah, I'd say there was about 2000 coins worth of damages here, send the bill to King Toadstool!" Waluigi piped up.

"But sir!" Peach protested.

"THAT'S ENOUGH!" Koopalot screamed. He turned back to face, his face now turning a noxious purple, sweat running down his molten forehead. Peach was suddenly overcome with an urge to smile, but her thoughts were quickly dominated and flattened; then replaced by a huge stomach-churning spasm, as Koopalot roared:

"PEACH, YOU'RE IN DETENTION!"

* * *


	4. D is for Detention

**Four**

Peach sighed, running her hands through her hair agitatedly. She retched, as her fingers entwined themselves amongst the thick clumps of Piranha flesh, still stuck to her hair.

She began gazing out of the window, watching a gang of boisterous Koopa boys playing a rough game of soccer out on the field behind the detention huts.

They were free.

Peach wasn't free. She felt like she'd been confined to a lonely prison cell, no contact with the outside world.

Peach had never had a detention of any kind in her life before. Apart from the odd 'time-outs' that her father had given her when she was younger. He would drag her over to a corner, sit her down abruptly upon a stool; and she was to think about the bad things that she'd done.

Peach hated this. She'd usually burst into floods of tears, whining, moaning, and generally feeling guilty and ashamed.

She'd been so amidst in her daydreaming, that she shot up like a rocket when Doctor Koopalot slammed a heavy wad of papers down onto the desk in front of her.

Typical, Peach thought, the teacher who wanted to kill her right now, was supervising the detention. Peach seemed to be the only one in the room, apart from a 7th grade Goomba, sat at the back of the room, who seemed to be asleep.

"Peach…" He said, slowly edging towards her, an evil toothy smirk on his face - like a tiger ready to pounce upon its prey.

"Um… Yes sir?"

"Peach, you shall be ecstatic to hear, that I sent the repair and maintenance bill for my laboratory - TO YOUR FATHER!"

"No!" Peach cried out in horror.

"Yes!" Koopalot grinned.

Peach turned white, whiter than a Boo with a cold. The back of her neck prickled with fear. She knew exactly what her father would do…

"Now Peach…" Koopalot began, thrusting a piece of lined paper in front of her. "I want you to write, 500 times: '**I must never ever invent my own random and excentric scientific experiments, thus resulting in the discombobulating of an innocent _Dionaea Muscipula_!"**

"WHAT!" Peach gasped, turning even paler.

"Don't speak to me in that tone of voice, young lady. 600 times."

"But-"

"700 times…"

"But sir…"

"800 times…"

"But-"

"900..."

"BUT!"

"ONE THOUSAND TIMES, PEACH. DON'T YOU DARE PUSH ME ANY FURTHER!" Koopalot screamed, leaning right over the desk, and bawling in Peach's face.

* * *

_**Four hours later…**_

"There sir… Done." Peach whimpered, dropping her pen. Her arm throbbed angrily, her fingers blistered, her wrist red and sore.

"Fine, you may go." Koopalot laughed.

Peach stood up, and walked out of the room, her head bent, sobbing in disgrace.

* * *

"Princess." Toadsworth called, poking his head around Peach's bedroom door.

She was laid out on her four-poster bed, sobbing into her quilted pillows.

Peach lifted her head, wiped her eyes furiously with her fists, and snorted disdainfully.

"Yes?"

"Your father wishes to speak to you." Toadsworth paused. "At once."

* * *

"You… Wanted to talk to me? Dad?" Peach mumbled, shuffling towards the desk in her father's study.

He was sat in front of the fireplace, his chair facing it.

"Peach…" King Toadstool said quietly. He sounded hurt.

"Yes, father?" Peach stammered, suddenly starting to feel very sick.

King Toadstool swivelled his chair around, and stared deep into Peach's eyes. He suddenly stood up, and stormed over to his desk.

He pushed a stack of paper onto the floor, knocking over a glass of wine in the process. It fell to the floor, smashing into a dozen pieces. He grabbed a thick envelope and marched over to the cowering Peach, his eyes burning coals, set in his livid skull.

"Peach." He said, almost softly. "I make the choice, to send you to middle school. I thought it'd be good for you, give you a better chance at an education…" He said, sighing in between words.

Peach hung her head, feeling very ashamed. She knew she'd let her father down, big time.

His voice suddenly rose, and it became sharp and harsh, spitting words like bullets from a gun. "And what do you do to repay me?" He waved the letter under Peach's nose.

"SIX THOUSAND COINS MAINTANANCE BILL!" He bellowed, blasting hot saliva onto his daughter's face.

Peach jumped back, quivering in fear.

"You've really let me down this time, Peach!" He yelled.

Then he sighed, shaking his head in despair. "I feel so, so, so disappointed with you… I'm… I'm ashamed to be your father."

Two tears slid down his cheeks.

This was even worse than him shouting, Peach thought, as tears rolled down her face too.

"I don't want to punish you for this Peach, but I do want you to realise how I must feel right now."

"I don't know what to say…" Peach sobbed.

"I don't want to hear what you have to say, Peach. Go upstairs, out of my sight." He snapped, turning back to face the fireplace.

Peach scurried out of the room, crying bitter tears of despair.

* * *


End file.
